Benefits of the Paleo Diet

15 R﻿E﻿ALBENEFITS OF THE PALEO DIET+The ﻿Science﻿Behind It

You need to read this list. You need to read it because once you do you’ll realize the Paleo Diet is unquestionably the best diet for you. There are no special pills and you don’t have to starve yourself for 40 days and 40 nights. All you have to do is eat in a similar fashion as your paleolithic ancestors. These are foods that you’ve adapted the ability effectively convert into energy. The problem with your current diet is that you think just because your body is the best machine on Earth that it’s invincible. Well it’s not!

That’s why 25% of America’s population is suffering from metabolic syndrome…they are literally unable to effectively convert food into usable energy. The sad truth is that many people have been eating this way their entire lives and have no idea how bad they really feel. These people are surviving but they are far from thriving. Once you switch to the Paleo Diet [Evolved] you’ll see how much better a healthy diet will make you feel. It will literally change your life. Here are 15 Real Benefits of the Paleo Diet;

Paleo Benefit #1 | Healthy Cells

You may not realize it, but every cell in your body is made from both saturated and unsaturated fat and your cells depend on a healthy balance of the two in order to properly send messages in and out. The paleo diet naturally provides a perfect balance of fats because it suggests both in healthy amounts while other diets limit one or the other.

Scientific Proof

"Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth and development. “

Paleo Benefit #2 | Healthy Brain

One of the best sources of protein and fat suggested by the paleo diet comes from cold water fish; ideally wild-caught salmon.

Salmon fat is packed full of omega 3 fatty acids which is lacking in the average American diet. This is a problem because within omega 3 fatty acids contains DHA which is known to be good for the eyes, heart, and most importantly for brain development and function! Other sources of omega 3 fatty acids are found in pasture-raised meats and eggs. Gets some!

Scientific Proof

"Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth and development". “

Paleo Benefit #3 | More Muscle, Less Fat

The paleo diet relies heavily on animal flesh and with it comes healthy protein. This protein is very anabolic and is used for building new cells like muscle mass. The more muscle you have the better your metabolism will work, period! This is because muscles require energy to move and in order to move bigger muscles you must store more energy in them! This allows your body to send energy to muscle cells instead of fat cells! By increasing muscle cells and shrinking fat cells (through a healthy paleo diet) any extra energy will be transported to glycogen in your muscles versus triglycerides in your fat cells!

Scientific Proof

“Due to genetics, some people have higher metabolic rates than others, but muscle mass is an important factor to consider in determining your BMR. Muscle is more active and energy-demanding than fat, so if you have a higher percentage of muscle compared to fat, you will have a higher BMR” “

Paleo Benefit #4 | Better Gut Health

Sugar, man-made fats and other processed junk all cause inflammation within your intestinal tract. Unfortunately when you match too much processed foods with a lot of stress you can get what’s called “leaky gut syndrome” which is when your intestinal walls are breached and things that don’t normally leave the tunnel end up leaking out! Obviously you want to keep your food in your digestive tract until it’s ready to be transported to your cells! There is not supposed to be a shortcut for this!

Paleo Benefit #5 | Circle of Life

The paleo diet suggests eating pasture-raised meats and eggs. This means that the animals are truly able to roam in grass for their entire lives. Ideally cows and chickens will roam the pasture together as this creates synergy.In nature, chickens will follow cows around and eat the larvae and bugs found under the cow pies. Naturally, the cow pie will get broken up which fertilizes the grass which then provides food for the cow! It’s beautiful! This natural diet is great for the animals but it also serves you a long list of nutrients when you eat them due to their healthy diet! It’s the circle of life at its finest.

Scientific Proof

“Eggs from pastured hens can contain as much as 10 times more omega-3s than eggs from factory hens”

Paleo Benefit #6 | Get All Your Vitamins & Minerals

The paleo diet suggests eating the rainbow! Vegetables are a large part of the diet and it’s recommended to get a variety of veggies depending on the seasons! The different colors of veggies are dependent on the nutrients they contain! By eating the rainbow you ensure you get all your vitamins!

Scientific Proof

“Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A, and vitamin C”

Paleo Benefit #7 | Limits Fructose

Kiwi is packed with Vitamin C

The paleo diet recognizes that the human body digests fructose differently than other carbs. It's this reason that the paleo diet suggests limiting and strategically choosing the perfect fruit for the job! Skip the banana and eat a kiwi instead!

Unless you know what you're doing, limit yourself to 2-3 pieces of fruit per day.

Scientific Proof

"...chronically high consumption of fructose in rodents leads to hepatic and extrahepatic insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure"

Paleo Benefit #8 | Better Digestion and Absorption

The paleo diet suggests eating foods that you’ve adapted the ability to digest over thousands of years. There are no questions whether or not you can tolerate starch or grass-fed beef. You’re ancestors both survived and thrived off these foods. If you are having digestion problems, try a strict paleo diet for 30 days and you will feel better, guaranteed.

Scientific Proof

“Fermented foods, ranging from sauerkraut to yogurt, are increasingly being seen as a boon to the gut—and in turn to benefits not only for digestive health but possibly also for allergies and even weight loss”

Paleo Benefit #9 | Less Allergies

The paleo diet suggests that you minimize foods that are known to be allergens to certain societies. Some people incapable of digesting seeds (grain) and dairy which is why the paleo diet recommends that you remove these foods at least for a month (unless the milk is raw). People often bash the paleo diet because we don’t eat “whole grains” and this couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is simply that grains aren't the best tool for the job, so we avoid them most of the time, but not always. If you are an athlete, you probably should be eating a cup of oats every now and then.

We aren't haters here at Paleo [Evolved], we just aspire to be the best we can be, and that starts with choosing quality foods.

Paleo Benefit #10 | Reduce Inflammation

Research suggests that inflammation may be the leading factor behind cardiovascular disease. The great thing about the paleo diet is that a lot of the foods are anti-inflammatory so you will me minimizing your risk. The large focus on omega 3 fatty acids is one of the reasons the diet is so anti-inflammatory. Pasture-raised animals have a much better ratio of omega 3 to 6 ratios and the other veggies and herbs encouraged with the paleo diet will help as well!

Scientific Proof

“Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis”

Paleo Benefit #11 | More Energy

Every wonder why energy drinks have become so popular in the last decade? It’s because everybody’s diet sucks! A typical American breakfast consists of a sugar coffee matched with a muffin or bagel with cream cheese. Not only will this eventually lead to type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, it won’t even keep you satiated! With the paleo diet you strategically choose the right foods for any occasion.

Scientific Proof

“Eating foods with a low glycemic index — whose sugars are absorbed slowly — may help you avoid the lag in energy that typically occurs after eating quickly absorbed sugars or refined starches”

Paleo Benefit #12 | Weight Loss

The paleo diet is a low carb diet by design. Simply removing processed foods will drastically reduce your carb intake to fuel weight loss. By limiting carbs to around workout times you will avoid unwanted fat gain which is often caused by these excess carbs!

Scientific Proof

“…and many of the foods that increase disease risk—chief among them, refined grains and sugary drinks—are also factors in weight gain”

Paleo Benefit #13 | Increased Insulin Sensitivity

If you had ice cream with every meal, every day for six months, I guarantee you that eventually you would start hating ice cream. Whenever a bowl of ice cream would be put in front of your face, you would kindly reject it. Well the same is true for your body. When you constantly feed your body cheap, sugary foods (like the typical American diet) your body desensitizes itself to them because it doesn't want or need them. Your body only needs so much energy, and when you reach that threshold your cells reject the fuel and store it as fat. If this happens for too long you will develop insulin sensitivity which means your body will be incapable of recognizing when your cells are full or not.

Paleo Benefit #14 | Reduce Risk of Disease

The paleo diet isn’t perfect, but the main focus is to avoid foods that can potentially harm your health. The paleo diet makes it easy to avoid crap foods by giving you a simple blueprint; only eat what a caveman would be able to eat. While this isn’t perfect, it will ensure you eat whole foods, and limit your risk for disease by avoiding the foods known to cause them!

Scientific Proof

“All populations appear to develop diseases of civilization if they consume Western foods and have sedentary lifestyles. It therefore seems prudent for modern-day humans to remember their evolutionary heritage and to increase their intake of vegetables and fruits and to decrease their intake of animal fats and domesticated grains. The Paleolithic diet might be the best antidote to the unhealthy Western diet”

Paleo Benefit #15 | Shrink Those Fat Cells

Most people don’t realize that fat cells shrink and expand based on your diet. A lean person doesn’t have less fat cells, they simply have smaller cells. In order to keep your fat cells tiny you must choose healthy fats and limit your carb intake; all things the paleo diet suggests! Healthy fats are packed tightly together within your cells and are readily available for energy when you are insulin sensitive. It’s basic synergy at work here; the paleo diet naturally provides the foods that will add muscle and keep you insulin sensitive which will ensure your fat cells stay compact. The avoidance of carbs will ensure your cells stay healthy and able to burn that fat!

Scientific Proof

“As triglycerides are stored within a cell, the fat blob inside the cell expands, increasing the cell's diameter. If enough fat cells in a body region enlarge this way, that part of the body begins to look fat”

Conclusion

After reviewing the list, it’s easy to see why the paleo diet is the best diet for your health. You can’t argue against it! I could have made the list 10x longer if I wanted to; I could have told you that the paleo diet will improve your skin and help with acne, and even cure your asthma if that’s an issue. There is no reason you shouldn’t be following the paleo diet or at least using it as a base for your dietary choices. It makes it so easy and not to mention it sounds pretty cool when you tell your friends you “went paleo”.